Launch the FileMaker database and assign a ticket to either Shehan, Josh, Soni or yourself.

Questions

Were you required to authenticate in the mobile app?

Were you required to authenticate in the web browser?

Were you able to log into the database with your own credentials, not the admin?

Did you recieve an e-mail alert for each ticket you assigned to yourself?

Do the e-mails you receive also include links for your mobile device?

Test 2

Now that you've assigned several tickets, we (Josh, Shehan and I) will use the system to resolve them. Keep checking your mobile app to make sure tickets are resolved in a timely manner. Try using all three interfaces to post a note on a ticket.

Test 1

[Quit and restart your browser to clear sessions]
You are an OIP staff member and FileMaker refuses to launch on your computer. It bounces in the Dock but then nothing. Submit a support ticket at https://oipsecure.umn.edu/support/index.php

Were you required to authenticate?

If so, were you successful?

Were you able to submit a support ticket?

Did you land on a list of tickets?

Did you get a confirmation email?

Did it include a link back to the ticket?

Test 2

[Quit and restart your browser to clear sessions]
You are an OIP staff member and because you're covering for someone on vacation, you need access to the LAC_Design volume. Submit a support ticket at https://oipsecure.umn.edu/support/index.php

[Quit and restart your browser to clear sessions]
You learn later that you don't need access to the LAC_Design volume because a different co-worker does. Navigate to https://oipsecure.umn.edu/support/mytickets.php and withdraw your ticket.

Feedback

Overview

We developed the Support Ticket system to streamline how IT receives, assigns, tracks and resolves support requests. The system also allows OIP staff to track the progress of their tickets online. Read the complete Statement of Work for more details. The Support Ticket system has several facets:

a back-end database

a web front-end specifically for OIP staff

a web front-end specifically for IT staff

a mobile web front-end specifically for IT managers

Changes In Workflow

The new system changes our current workflow. Adherence to the new workflow is critical to the viability and success of the project.

OIP Staff will no longer send e-mails to oiptech@umn.edu. Staff will always submit a support ticket  big or small  through an online form.

All correspondence about the ticket takes place on an online message board, not in direct e-mails.

Testing and Implementation

We'll begin testing all aspects of the system over the next few days and weeks. We plan to launch the Support Ticket system on January 4, 2010.

Users: Submit New Ticket

Users link to this page from the OIP Technology Knowledge Base. The page requires authentication via CAH. The form will automatically populate their internet ID.

Users: Track Tickets

After submitting a ticket, users are conducted to the My Tickets page displaying a list of all their tickets by status and date submitted. On the detail page they can do two things: withdraw the ticket or add to the notes. When adding a note, the user has the option to have the note sent as as an email to others. Emails will have a link back to the ticket. Our workflow will encourage everyone to use the notes section rather than corresponding directly via email. This way all information regarding the ticket is in a single, central, accessible location.

IT Staff: Track Tickets

The audience for this interface is exactly 3 people who all happen to have iPod Touches  Christopher, Patrick and Soni. We three are often in meetings or away from our computers and phones and cannot conveniently launch FileMaker, check email or log into a web site. The mobile interface gives just enough functionality to keep tickets moving through the pipeline. These functions can be performed discreetly while sitting in a meeting, working remotely or walking across campus. Behind CAH? Not sure yet but probably yes.

The first function is adding a note to a ticket. It will work the same as described above including the option to have the note sent as an email.

IT Staff: Assign Tickets

A quick and effective way to triage tickets as they come in is an important element of good technical support. So the second function in the mobile interface is the ability to assign new tickets. This interface gives IT staff an easy way to dispatch others to work on a ticket. The assignee is automatically sent an email notification.

The mobile interface does not attempt to deliver the same functionality as the full web site or the back-end database. It will only show open tickets and will group them by assignee. There's no ability to search, close or edit the ticket. The mobile interface focuses solely on keeping the ticket moving while key staff are away from their desk.

IT Staff and Students: Track Tickets

These next two workflows describe the web interface for IT staff and their student workers. In addition to assigning a ticket and adding a note, IT can close tickets and edit other information about the ticket. IT can also search and access closed tickets. The intention of the web interface is to give IT tools to manage and solve tickets when they're in the field.

IT Staff: Database Interface

The database interface is meant to be used by IT staff only. The database delivers all the functionality of the web and mobile interfaces plus allows more robust searching and reporting.